It's the last day I'm giving students to work on finding and analyzing the figurative language in their songs.

When activity stretches into two or three days, you start to think about how you can change things to make it better. Here were some factors that went into my decisions of stretching the activity out.

The second day of this three day extravaganza was impacted by a school activity. I couldn't plan for the time because I didn't know how long it would actually take.

I wanted to meet with every, or at least most, students in the assonance and rhythm groups. That takes time.

I wanted students to really look for how the authors of their songs used figurative language. That takes time.

Could I have assigned some of this for homework? Yes, especially an honors class. A non-honors class? No way. They need extra support, not less support. I'll certainly modify the daily lessons for my other classes. One day we'll focus on three types of language. The second day we'll focus on three other devices. The third day will be three more devices.

All things considered, I'm not sure that cramming this activity into two days is best for students or teachers. If I had crammed it into two days, I wouldn't have had the time needed to meet with every student. If I had assigned it for homework, students wouldn't have had the conversations they had about the devices they found. If anything, I think they could have used more time, not less time.

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Students receive a letter asking them to submit a manuscript for a new children's book about cell organelle. Using analogies, students will compare the cell to a system using analogies, original art work and 3-D models.